Mockingjay: After the Epilogue
by Phanic-At-The-Chemical-Fallout
Summary: Join Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, (and Buttercup) once again, and see what happened with our little Mockingjay.
1. Beginning

"Well, Haymitch, if you wanted company you should have asked for it!" I yell. It's his fault. After he won the Games, girls were probably all over him when he was finally able to resume a normal life in District 12. "Sweetheart, I drink for a reason! To slip out of reach and numb my emotions! You try having a sibling and parent killed, Katniss!" Haymitch yells. Peeta pops his head in the living room. "She has, Haymitch. Try having your whole family killed at once thanks to firebombs." Peeta teases. We try our best to forget, and when that's not an option, we joke about it.

"Thank God the kids are at Hazelle's house with Aquarius, or they would be pretty much terrified of their mother screaming at her mentor." Peeta says. Aquarius is Finnick and Annie's son. With Finnick dead, Annie isn't what she used to be. But she is still mentally insane. Kinda like me. Our kids, Artemis and Bannock, have gotten used to spending time with old Hazelle. Hazelle is too worn down to do anything, really, but Peeta and I trust her to keep them safe.

The scent of bread and cheese comforts me and drags me to the kitchen. "Not for you, Katniss. For Hazelle." Peeta laughs, as swipes the platter away from my sight. He carefully puts the buns into a basket. "Are you going to pick up the kids, too?" I shout, as Peeta makes his way to the door. "No, Katniss, I'm just going to randomly drop off a basket of cheese buns at their door without doing anything else." he says sarcastically. I hear the clunk of the metal that replaced his leg as it slightly hits the door. "Tell Peeta I'm out hunting." I tell Haymitch, as he opens his fifth bottle of liquor. He gives me a shrug as I run up the stairs to grab the bow Beetee made for me, way back during the war. It gives a soothing purr as I touch the soft black velvet. "Well, well, hello to you too." I whisper back. I sling it over my shoulder.**_  
_**

I walk out, feeling the cool winter air against my pale skin. I walk against the gravel path of the Victor's Village, and find little Buttercup near Haymitch's door. I lift him up in my arms, and he seems pleased with whatever warmth is coming from my body. I quietly let him into our house, where he is supposed to be. He starts rubbing against my ankles until he smells something and wonders into the kitchen. I spin on my heel to walk towards the fence until I hear it. His strangely calming, strong voice. He shouts my name. I peek around the corner. His dark brown hair, gray eyes that mean relation to the Seam, and his skin turning pale against the wind.

Gale.


	2. Gale

Betrayal. My first emotion. My former best friend and hunting partner suddenly has the nerve to show up. I call him every week, with no response. For years and years. If only he hadn't shouted my name, I could hold on to the thought that he was coming for his mother and siblings. I just want to run. Into the woods, into what I thought was my safe haven. Now it will only bring back memories.

If I don't get to him now, his siblings will. I can't let that happen. "Well, look who came crawling back." I say with a smirk. He turns around, and his eyes stare into mine. _Stupid move, Katniss!_, I tell myself. "I came back for my family, smartmouth." says Gale, leaning back onto a Peacekeeper truck. "Then why did shout my name?" I ask. His eyes release the lock they had on mine as he stares at the ground.

"Why did you never respond, Gale? Years of me, calling you every single week, waiting for the one day... you would respond... and say that you miss me..." I say, with the first tear forming in my eye. "GALE!" I hear a girl shout. Posy, who is now 18, runs up to Gale and wraps her body around his right arm. "Mother will be so happy!" Posy cries out, and starts dragging him to their mother's house.

I can only imagine Hazelle's expression when she sees Gale. But then there is Aquarius, Artemis, Bannock, and... Peeta! I completely forgot about him! If those two see each other, it'll be a nightmare. The fact that we had children won't help, even if they stay silent. I'm now running to the Victor Village, hoping that Peeta, or at least Haymitch, is there. I'm looking into the window on the back door. No Peeta, or Haymitch. I just want to burst into tears.

I go into the house. To my surprise, Artemis is sitting at the table, hopelessly trying to do a braid like mine in her hair. "Bannock's in the living room," she says, without looking up. She's so much like me, it's insane. "Where's your father?" I ask stupidly. "Upstairs," she whispers. She looks up at me. "Having one of his... traumas. If you know what I mean." I run upstairs, without even saying hello to Bannock. I find him sprawled out on a bed, moaning.

"What happened?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "Gale happened." he whispers. He's covered in scratches and bruises. I think of us, back in the cave. I use the same tactic. I press my lips against his, happy I chose Peeta and not Gale. Why and how I get myself into this kind of trouble, I don't know. I just want to get out of it.


	3. Hunting

Peeta closes his eyes and hangs onto a chair, just in case any tracker-jacker venom got to him. This scares our children, so I make them go upstairs for it. "Why does he do that?" Bannock asks. I hate keeping secrets from him, but I have to. Peeta already told Artemis the whole thing. I just couldn't do it with him. Artemis knows now, all thanks to Peeta's sweet and gentle words that make it sound so peaceful. She has known about Gale, and has been taught to fear him.

I now stand with Artemis in the bathroom, braiding her smooth, dark hair. I gently yet quickly move the hair from side to side, from top to bottom, twisting and tightening. "Take me hunting." she whispers to me. I stand up straighter. "Hunting?" I ask calmly, trying not to scream with fear and happiness, "Why?". She gives me a shrug. "Today in class, we learned what our names meant. Artemis means hunter." I smile. It's the exact reason we named her that.

"Your father will kill me." I argued. She still sounded nonchalant. "What will he do? Kiss you until you can't breathe? Make you eat the burnt bread?" She teases. I finally become reasonable, remembering how I begged my father to take me hunting, and say, "Fine. I will take you hunting, just don't scare the game." I moan. A smile falls upon her lips. I finally finish the braid, and I do a simple one in my hair. I grab my bow and arrows, as I try to think of something Artemis could handle. Pulling back a bow string requires practice. A sword is too heavy. A gun would be too loud. I simply grab a knife and trust her that she won't kill herself with it.

As she waits at the door, with the knife in her hand, she reminds me of Clove. Oh, Clove. Black hair that slithered down her back, eyes that would stare into your soul, swift and confident with her collection of knives, unable to escape the wrath of Thresh. "Ready?" I whisper. Artemis nods. We walk outside, the harsh winter wind pulling onto us, the gravel grinding against one another. I easily pass through the fence, and help Artemis through it. "Welcome to the woods." I gleam. I hear rustling leaves up ahead. I quickly put an arrow in the quiver, pull back, and release. "Deer?" she whispers. I nod.

"Stay here." I whisper, moving like a fox towards the game. That just makes me think of the clever Foxface. I remember I wanted her for an ally, but afraid I would be in a sicouation with a knife in my back. Why am I thinking of tributes from the 74th Hunger Games? I turn from the tree line to where I shot the deer. I'm about to get it when I see a trap. Advanced and thick, but not complete. Gale. I hear the same rustling leaves sound. The deer must have been by luck. I run behind a tree for cover. He comes out with a full game bag, and reaches towards his trap to complete it. He pauses and walks towards the deer, removes the arrow from it's eye, and holds it up. "Oh Katniss, come out from the trees," he says in a sing-song voice, "Or Artemis. Whatever comes first."

* * *

Hi! Okay, so I wrote a lot more this chapter. Is this better? Yes? No? Maybe so? Also, sorry about the awful ending. I ran out of ideas, honestly. Thanks for reading! =)


	4. Update Time!

Hey. Sorry, this isn't an update to the story. This is just an apology. I have been very busy, just doing my thing outside of the internet. However, I think I have found an alternative way to manage my time. For that, I will be starting a new series, based off of the 46th Hunger Games and a girl from District 1. I will now be working on _Mockingjay: After The Epilogue _(MJAE) on Fridays only (but not publishing for sure). I will work on the new unnamed fan-fic on Saturdays (still unsure of publishing).

Especially because of Christmas, things will be hectic. I have about two weeks off from school before the end of December and a few days after New Years. These are days that I hope I can publish updates on weekdays. I think I've covered everything I wanted to talk about. I'll edit this if that's so.

Lots of Arrows,

Mockingjay 3


End file.
